Automobile headlight



Oct. 7, 1924.

W. R. DU BREUIL AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT Original Filed Jan. 7. 1922guvenfoz Winfield R-Du Brew l lms Patented Get. :7, 1924.,

UNTTED sTATEs WINFIELD R. DU BREUIL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT.

Application filed January 7, 1922, Serial No. 527,723.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \Vmrrnnn ll. DU BREUIL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomobile Headlights, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to a projector intended primarily for use inheadlights of automobiles and other moving vehicles but capable also ofuse in other relations. When used on moving vehicles an essential objectof the invention is to prevent the blinding eii'ect produced onpedestrians or drivers of approaching vehicles by the light fromordinary headlights. This is done by an arrangement of devices whichpermits the light to be thrown freely downward and forward at a levelbelow the height of the eyes of approaching persons, the only rays oflight which go higher being such as are transmitted through anopalescent or frosted screen whereby they are deprived of any blindingedect.

A further object of the invention is to provide a, device of thecharacter described which consists of few parts and is simple andinexpensive to manufacture.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof andon which similar reference characters indicate similar parts Figure l isa plan view of the front portion of an automobile showing the locationof the headlig ts,

Figure 2, central vertical section, and

Figure 3 a front elevation of my device.

In the drawings reference. character it) indicates a lamp preferably anelectric bulb of ordinary character, which is supported at the center ofa reflector ll of ordinary character and which may be so supported as tobe adjustable with reference to the focus of the reflecting surface. Thereflecting surface is preferably formed on a conical or parabolic shelland l preferably provide at the lower part of the shell a transverseshelf 12 to cut off the light from the lower part of the reflector. Thisshelf may, as here show form a part of the outer casing o" the li ht, ormay he set into the lower p i. of the reflector. may also In some casesuse a smaller shell having its lower edge at or near the bottom level ofthe casing.

aloe reflecting shell is positioned at the Renewed August 25, 1924.

rear end of a casing having an opening corresponding in size to theshell and the casing is or may be firmly fixed to the shell.

The casing in the form here shown consists of a rear housing 14surrounding the shell 11, an upper part 13, forwardly extending sidewalls 15 and 16 flaring outwardly toward the front of the device andhaving each a horizontal lower edge and a downwardly sloping upper edge.The length of the side walls should be about three or four times theheight of the reflector but in case a shelf is used as shown at 12 thenthe length of the wall will be three or four times the distance from thetop of the shelf to the top of the reflector, these dimensions beingpreferred to secure a proper distribu; tion of the light in a directionlengthwise of the road instead of a distribution over a. wider area. Theside walls are connected at the top by the downwardly sloping upperwall, the lower surface of which is a refleeting surface as are also theinner faces of theside walls. At the vfront of the device the side andtop members are connected by a transverse member 18 soldered orotherwise attached to the side walls. In front window is left at 20 andthis is closed by colored or frosted glass as here shown. in the use ofmy invention any glass or other device may be used for closing thewindow provided only that it transmit sufficient light to attract noticebut shuts oft any direct rays or any glaring light. The underside of thecasing as here shown is open but may it desirable or necessary be closedby a sheet plain glass.

'l he iro-nt the casing may be rounded oil so that the extremity of thewindow will be visible at the sides of the casing or if preferred a.series of windows may extend across the rounded front of the casing. Inthis manner the attention of persons approaching from the sides of themachine will also be drawn thereto. lreferably, however, I leave thefront of the casing straight and cut away the corners of the same toprovide faces in which are set windows 21, similar to window 20. Allthese windows are provided with colored or frosted glass analogousmaterial to prevent any undesirable glare.

Above the upper wall 13 I provide at the front of the a small light 29which may serve a parking light, and which may he oi any desired type.It may operated in alternation with the main light by the usual two-wayswitch, or may be omitted if parking lights of different type arepreferred, or if none are to be used. The parkinglight is covered by ahousing having a front wall 23 in which the lens 24 of the light is set,a top '25 and inclined parts 26 connectin the top to the front Tvall.Each headligdit is preferably mounted on a ball and socket or otheradjustable bracket 27 to permit proper location of the casing relativeto the car.

From consideration of my invention as above described it will be seenthat no direct rays of light are transmitted at such an angle as to bemore than a safe distance above the highway, for example, about threefeet, while at the same time owing to the relative positions of thelight and the reflect-or and to the angle of the lower edges of the sidewalls the light will be thrown forward to a distance of about twohundred feet or so depending on the strength of the source ofillumination, this being sufficient for practical purposes in aheadlight for moving vehicles, which is the main object of theinvention. The light thrown fromthe lamp against the upper wall will bereflected downward and forward to the road as also to a less extent willbe the light from the side walls which as above shown are flaredoutwardly, the roof portion being somewhat fan-shaped and wider at thefront than at the rear. The shelf 12 servesto cut off the rays of lightfrom the lower portion of the reflector as these would otherwise bethrown upward higher than is desirable and the shelf is useful in thatitenables the use of a larger reflector than could be employed if theentire surface of the reflector were utilized.

The windows at the front of the device serve to give warning toapproaching pedestrians of the proximity of the vehicle and for thispurpose are covered with colored or frosted glass or the like adapted totransmit li ht but to eliminate the glare and this material may be soselected as to subdue the light to any point desired.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that certainmodifications may be made in my device without departing from the spiritof the invention, the true scope of which is shown in the appendedclaim.

Having thus fully described my said in vention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a headlight for vehicles, a source of illumination, a shellsurrounding the same and having a reflecting surface, a shelf extendingtransversely of the lower portion of the shell, a casing extendin overand forwardly of the shell, said casing having outwardly flaring sidewalls and a downwardly sloping upper wall whereby the light is reflectedforwardly and downwardly and is prevented from rising higher than thesource of illumination, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at lVashington,District of Columbia, this sixth day of January, A. D. nineteen hundredand twenty-two.

VVINFIELD R. DU BREUIL,

lVitnesses FRANK W. DAHN, M. A. SHAW.

